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The average home contains many harmful airborne chemicals that are released from common items, such as furniture, carpeting and emissions from automobiles in attached garages. However, one easy way that you can reduce harmful pollutants in your home is with houseplants.

Many houseplants naturally help improve indoor air quality (IAQ) by absorbing pollutants while simultaneously absorbing carbon dioxide. To further your air-cleaning efforts, potting soil contains microbes that contribute to air purification. For an easy and beautiful way to clean the air in your home, consider the following five types of plants.

Garden Mum

Garden mums are beautiful flowering plants that are air-purifying "all-stars" according to NASA research. Once they have bloomed, you may plant them outside.

Garden mums remove benzene and xylene, which are found in auto emissions. These plants also remove formaldehyde, which is a harmful and common pollutant emitted from textiles, plywood paneling and medium-density fiberboard.

Boston ferns are popular plants that help remove formaldehyde and xylene from indoor air. Keep an eye on daily watering and give your Boston ferns a good soak once a month. Choose a location with indirect sunlight.

Spider Plant

The spider plant is one of the easiest houseplants to grow, which is perfect for beginners or if you prefer a low-maintenance plant to remove formaldehyde and xylene. Placed in indirect sunlight, spider plants send out flowering shoots that grow into spiderettes.

Peace Lily

Peace lilies emit floral scents to your home and pack major air-purifying properties — able to remove ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. Further, these houseplants are easy to grow and flower during the summer. Choose a shady spot and keep soil moist without over-watering.

For questions about houseplants and IAQ, contact the experts at Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical by calling 408-294-6290, or visit our website for in-depth information on most HVAC and IAQ topics.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the South Bay Peninsula and Santa Cruz areas of California about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).